Tax Lien Lawyers in Elko

A "lien" in Elko, Nevada is a property right that a person or entity has in property owned by someone else, created by law, for the purpose of enforcing a debt. A lien gives its holder various rights in the property of another person, including the right to seize the proceeds of a sale of the property, and, if the debtor files for bankruptcy, the right to go to the front of the line among other creditors, making it more possible that the lien holder will collect something.

In Elko, Nevada, a "tax lien" is simply a lien imposed by the government to compile back taxes from a citizen or corporation, when other methods for collecting have failed.

Tax liens in Elko, Nevada are ineffective if the taxpayer doesn't have any property to place the lien on. However, practically any property, including that which the taxpayer acquires after the lien goes into effect, can be affected by a tax lien.

Tax Lien Procedure in Elko, Nevada

The process of imposing a tax lien on property in Elko, Nevada is normally fairly simple. The initial step is for the IRS or local tax agency to decide that a person really owes back taxes, and that it is worth the effort to impose a lien.

Then, the taxpayer is sent a letter with a "notice and demand," which informs the taxpayer that the IRS has decided that they owe back taxes, and that they have a short period of time (normally 10 days) to pay them without incurring a penalty.

If that time period expires, and the debtor still hasn't paid, the Nevada tax lien will go into effect automatically, with no additional action required.

But, under federal law, there are limits to how tax liens can be enforced in Elko, Nevada, and elsewhere. Typically, the IRS has 10 years to try and enforce a tax lien. If no effort is made to enforce a tax lien for 10 years, the lien is automatically lifted, and the lien holder loses all rights in it. This rule exists to ensure that the government collects its taxes in a reasonable time period, and it prevents valuable property (which could otherwise be contributing to the economy by being bought and sold) is not laded with a lien for an indefinite period of time.

How Can a Elko, Nevada Tax Lien Lawyer Help?

If you receive notice from the federal government, or the government of Nevada that a tax lien has been imposed on your property, some pretty complex legal issues are necessarily involved.

Therefore, it's important that you retain a tax attorney in Elko, Nevada to ensure that whatever legal rights you have in this situation are defended. Your attorney will also be able to advise you on how to best deal with the situation.